Pages

Wednesday, January 2, 2019

2018 Resolution Report (or: How I Failed in 2018)

Hiking in Sedona with my blonde hair that lasted for like three seconds because it was insanely high maintenance

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I LOVE making resolutions for the new year. I love lists, I love planning, I love setting goals. Resolutions are my jam and I'm generally really good at keeping them. Normally I can go through my list at the end of the year and think, "check...check...check..." and bask in a sense of accomplishment and growth.

I think this one lasted for maybe two weeks. I made a few more attempts throughout the year but we just couldn't ever seem to hit on a book that we were all interested in. I really do believe in the value of reading aloud to your children but, for some reason, it's a struggle for us. For example, we all love Harry Potter individually but cannot seem to read it together as a family. We probably need therapy as there is clearly something wrong with us.

2. Keep to our schedule

This was totally doable in wintertime but was much harder in the summer when the sun was basically still shining in my kids' windows at bedtime. I can't say this was a complete failure but it wasn't a win either. We did our best.

3. Go on a spending fast

This was likely my most successful resolution, though it petered out a bit at the end. I learned some really valuable lessons from it though, which I think I'll address in a future blog post (...probably).

4. Reach out to far-flung friends and family

I should have immediately spotted the flaw here. Resolutions 3 and 4 are at odds with one another and I chose #3. I did try to maintain a connection though. Marco Polo was really helpful with this and I felt like I was able to maintain closer relationships with people I love who live far away. I spoke regularly with everyone on my list. It wasn't exactly what I had in mind but I think it accomplished the same thing.

5. Take time to be creative

This summer I made my kids do a creative project every day (if you go on to my Instagram you can tap the "Creative Summer" highlight to see some of the projects we did). I'm not going to lie, it was work on my part and required that I tolerate clutter that would normally have me tearing my hair out, but I think it was one of the best things we did all year. The goal was for ME to take more time to be creative and, since I was making my kids be creative, I did find myself sitting to paint, draw, or letter. It's still not as often as I would have liked and it only lasted for the summer, but thinking back on the summer makes me so happy.

Painting with a neighbor friend

6. Be consistent

And here's where it alllll fell apart. I had a sort of perfect storm in 2018 that killed so many of the good habits I worked so hard to put in place in 2016 and 2017. At the beginning of 2018 I knew I'd probably be part of the new PTO board at my kids' school but, after a chain of unexpected events, I was elected PTO president. I decided that, if I was going to do it, I was going to DO IT and also make it easier for everyone who comes after me. This means I've spent a lot of time on PTO- planning events, putting systems into place, and then writing it all down in an operations manual for future boards. It will be so much easier going forward but this year was a lot.

Also, I've felt really crummy. For some reason, my body doesn't like food. It's been coming on slowly for a long time (and it definitely got worse around the time I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's) but it got really bad over the past little while. I tried CrossFit this year (and loved it!) but had to quit after only six months because I just couldn't eat enough food to fuel my body for that kind of exercise without feeling awful. After years of consistently working out, I haven't been to the gym in 4 months. I'm working with a gastroenterologist trying to figure out what's going on with me (had the best nap of my life after an upper GI endoscopy) but the things we've tried so far feel a bit like band-aids. They help...but only kind of.

Overall I had a pretty great year but it also felt like I took some major steps backward. I finished 2017 feeling SO good and then finished 2018 feeling sort of confused and really tired.

That being said, I'm optimistic about this year. I'm adjusting my expectations for myself and my family and hoping to come out of 2019 in a better place.

2 comments:

Went here for a great all-you-can-eat buffet and they held nothing back. The food, service and mostly the staff at Chicago venues were truly amazing. I was starving and am one of those voracious "sampling" type eaters who has to try everything in a buffet, and I couldn't make it!

Hashimoto's is really hard on the body and is hard too watching somebody who has it try to cope with it. We have a family member who suffers from a disorder along the same vein..... similar, but not the same. Her disease presented as Hashimoto's but further investigations confirmed a slightly different diagnosis. I digress........ It sounds like your body has been telling you for a while what you need to do and how to do it. Slowing the pace is maddening for someone whose whole life has been a bundle of frenetic energy. At a frenetic pace. Accepting challenges and making life happen includes meditation and space too. 'Some days are diamonds. Some days are stones'. It sounds like I'm preaching. I don't mean to. We hear you. Kayla. We, your followers, love the person you are. We share the ride with you. Take all the time in the world you need to get yourself, your thoughts, your world to the way that makes YOU happy. too. Ease into it. Blessings............ Caz